Doujinshi

Doujinshi are fan-produced comic books or printed novels created by Japanese artists, similar to Western fanzines in both appearance and content. The word doujinshi can be transliterated as "same person," as the same person who creates the work also pays for the publishing of it. While doujinshi artists are technically amateurs, doujinshi are always sold for profit, and the more popular artists can make significant amounts of money from their sales. The more lax laws and attitude in Japan toward copyright permits this. Doujinshi have a special value in Japanese manga culture as a training ground; many well-known manga artists first began publishing their work as doujinshi artists for their favorite manga or TV series before going pro with their original material.

Supernatural Doujinshi

Supernatural fandom has become very popular in the world of doujinshi. Publications are most often yaoi - either Wincest or RPS - ranging from PG-13 to R18.

Links to Doujinshi online

While some Japanese doujinshi can be purchased online directly from the artists, most are sold exclusively in person at conventions in Japan in limited runs. Copies of these doujiinshi can then be purchased in used bookstores in Japan or from online retailers of used books, such as eBay. Because of the rarity of doujinshi, fans will sometimes scan (and occasionally translate) their personal copies in order to share them online when hard copies are not available for purchase.